A question of still no arrests of assailants, while students demand clarity from UM over attack.
Police will submit an investigation paper (IP) to the attorney-general tomorrow regarding Umno Supreme Council member Lokman Noor Adam, following his attack on a university student who was protesting against former prime minister Najib Razak.
“So far no arrests have been made. However, we have recorded 26 statements in connection with the incident.
“Police will take further action based on deputy public prosecutor’s instructions,” Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said.
Lokman was caught on video tearing apart a placard carried by University of Malaya (UM) students who had protested against Najib last Friday.
He said the placard, which featured a picture mocking Najib, was an insult to the former prime minister who was attending a dialogue session at a restaurant near the university.
He also said the students had the freedom to assemble but not to use a picture of Najib.
He added that the students’ actions were a provocation towards Najib’s supporters and they will not apologise for manhandling the students.
“I felt like laughing out loud when they asked us to apologise. Nonsense,” Lokman was quoted as saying.
He also claimed that the students were paid to carry out their protest, Free Malaysia Today reported.
Fuzi said that 11 police reports have been lodged over the incident which has drawn the ire of politicians and academics, as well as 68 prominent NGOs who condemned the harassment.
Unedited video images of the incident showed that the students were demonstrating peacefully across the street of a restaurant where Najib was speaking and exercising their constitutional right to express their opinion and view on the performance of the former prime minister. They were then harassed, attacked and assaulted by a group of Najib’s followers and supporters.
The NGOs also condemned the justifications given and used by the attackers, who framed the students’ action of criticising Najib as “menghina orang Melayu” and labelling them as “DAP students”. They said such justifications are improper and not in any manner acceptable excuses for their attack on the students.
The civil groups, as well as Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh, questioned the authorities’ delay in making any arrest against the aggressors.
“Even though this incident has become viral, everyone knows, the whole Dewan Rakyat knows what happened, but has anyone been arrested since last Friday?
“Are those in the videos or photographs fugitives like Jho Low, that we don’t know where they are and cannot arrest them; why until now no action has been taken?” the Pakatan Harapan backbencher asked in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Besides Lokman, Petaling Jaya Selatan Umno division chief Mutalib Abdul Rahim was sighted as among those involved in the conflict.
“What did they (students) do that was so sensitive, to the point they were attacked by a group of thugs?” he asked further.
“Isn’t this the work of Umno? We have to admit it is the work of Umno. We cannot hide that fact, this is not the first time Umno has done something like this,” Ramkarpal added, triggering an uproar from the Opposition MPs.
“We are missing the point, where if there is a fire, you don’t fight it with fire,” he replied after the Opposition cried out in objection to his remark.
Ramkarpal then called for new laws to be drafted banning any form of racism, physical or verbal.
“Last year we heard the [home] minister say he wants to introduce several laws that will address the issue of racism and such, but this needs to expedited so that we avoid things like this from happening,” he said.
“I feel all in this Dewan must support laws to outlaw racism. Let us all throw our support behind legislation outlawing racism,” he said to roars of support from both sides of the divide in the House.
Meanwhile, the vice-chancellor of University Malaya has been urged to be clear with his remarks about the incident.
Pointing out Education Minister Maszlee Malik’s remarks telling university administrations to come out strongly and clearly against the assault, the University of Malaya Association of New Youth (Umany) said the vice-chancellor’s response to the incident appeared to blame the victims instead.
“We regret the ambiguous statement from the vice-chancellor. His claim that students’ right to expression must not breach the law implies that the seven students did so.
“He also called the display of ‘Clown Najib’ caricatures as a provocation. Caricatures have been used in protest for a very long time,” the group said in a statement.
They told the vice-chancellor that parody images were an accepted form of reasonable criticism across the world.
Umany then reminded the university administration that the key issue here was that Najib supporters used physical force to silence a group of students protesting against him.
“This matter does not only concern the seven UM students but is about protecting the fundamental rights to free expression and assembly as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.”
Related report: Mar 22, Students Roughed Up After Tempers Flared over ‘Clown-Faced’ Najib Cutout